North of England-based parking rights campaigner turned transport innovator, Neil Herron, has beaten a speeding charge thanks to a vehicle safety device he happened to be trialling at the time of the incident.
Equipment from Omnia Smart Technologies showed him driving below the local 30mph speed limit, as against the 40mph recorded by a mobile police patrol.
In a hearing at Sunderland Magistrates' Court, the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence and the case was dropped. Mr Herron told Transport Network: 'The device uses GPS to record journey details and so help motorists to learn to drive more safely. It was a pure coincidence that I was carrying it at the time'.
His solicitor, Philip Somarakis – who is also company secretary to the Association of Car Fleet Operators – said: 'Laser speed detection devices can produce erroneous results and Mr Herron stated that he had telematics data to support him'.
Institute of Advanced Motorists head of road safety, Kevin Delaney told Transport Network: 'The CPS are not obliged to explain why they offered no evidence. It could be a lack of evidence of calibration of the speed gun, or an unwillingness to embark on a protracted and expensive legal process'.
At the time of writing this, the National Police Chiefs' Council had been unable to respond to a request for comment.
